Bleeding Edge - A Rolling Assessment

[Carvill John]

Ok well based on the below - my own comments plus Joe's - I'm suggesting this thread as a way of tracking our assessment of Bleeding Edge. I'm currently rating the book fairly low on the scale, but that will probably change (I hope so) and in all likelihood others' opinions will also oscillate over time, before finding their level.
So I'm suggesting an ongoing discussion (spoiler free, at least for now) around how we feel about the new Pynchon novel overall.
I feel sadness and anger when I see how Pynchon is treated in the mainstream press. As a lifelong Guardian reader, I was shocked (but not surprised) that a recent 'Arts Preview' feature failed to even mention Bleeding Edge in the literature section, and their review of the book (by Theo Tait) was a travesty. That said, around 100 pages into the book myself, I am beginning to have serious doubts about this one, doubts I never had about IV. Maybe I'll come out of this thinking that it's uneven, that it starts badly, but that overall it's as good as Inherent Vice (some would say that's no big claim but not me). Maybe others here are loving it from the off, or maybe began with great enthusiasm which then waned?
I also expect these feelings to change as we move through the Group Read.
So, opening bids please....



> From: brook7 at sover.net

>  That said after a slow reading of 10  chapters I am bouncing between extremes of amusement,  intrigue and strong annoyance.      

> On Sep 23, 2013, at 4:33 AM, Carvill John wrote:

> > I'll eventually be writing some sort of online review myself, and so far I'm worried about that. I'm 100 page in and thinking so far this is Pynchon's worst book by a mile. I have heard that it picks up and there have been a couple of decent passages thus far, but on the whole I am finding it quite annoying. If this wasn't Pynchon, I'd be rating this book, based on my progress so far, as 'poor'.



 		 	   		  
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